Online Food Ordering System for Restaurant Chain
Explore how we assisted our Edmonton-based restaurant client in delivering an in-house online food ordering system to strengthen their market hold.
Overview
Industry
Foodservice
Platform
Web Platform
Duration
1.5 month
Solution
End-to-End Software Development
Location
Edmonton
The rise of online food ordering and delivery systems is undeniable. With the rapid growth of the internet and technology over the past few years, ordering food through online systems has become a cakewalk for us. No matter where you are or what time it is, you can get your favourite dish delivered to your doorstep with just a few clicks on your mobile device.
Our client, an Edmonton-based restaurant chain owner, was already leveraging this technology with a subscription based food ordering system for their restaurants. However, they want to have their own in-house food ordering system to strengthen their customer reach and target future growth as well.
We, considering smooth customer experience and software functionality as our priority for the project, delivered a fully-fledged and working system for them.
Business Challenges
Prior to our collaboration, the client faced multiple problems/challenges with their existing food ordering system, with third-party companies’ hefty subscription policies being the primary one. For us, the core challenge was to develop a fully functional and easy-to-use online system that can not only be accessible to the company employees but be user-friendly for the customers as well.
Technical Expertise
The client had been running a successful restaurant chain for quite some time already. Prior to collaboration, they were partnered with a third-party online food ordering company to manage their online deliveries and food listings. This gave them enough idea about how a food ordering system works and how to leverage it in a decent way.
However, being a food-industry business, they did not know what it would take to develop a fully functional in-house food ordering system and what level of IT infrastructure was required for the development.
Hefty Charges
The client was using a third-party online food ordering system on a subscription basis.
Now, while this rental system worked quite well for the restaurant in the short run, it was very expensive in the long run. The client had to pay a hefty amount of money per month/year to renew their subscription plan with the third-party owner, without even having complete control over the system.
Our client was struggling with the same and thus needed an in-house food ordering system of their own that would give them control over the system while spending much less money.
Customization Limitations
A big problem our client was facing with the subscription-based food ordering system was that they were unable to customize the system as per their business needs. This was because ultimately the control of the system was in the third party’s hands, even if the client paid a handsome subscription fee every certain period.
This resulted in inefficient branding, poor menu & order customization, delivery type, and payment restrictions, and so on.
We understood and analyzed these critical challenges and then proposed a full-proof plan to the client, leading to the development of their in-house online food ordering system.
The Solution
Approach
In order to develop a well-working, customizable, and feature-rich food ordering system for our client, we adopted a project-centric approach where our focus was to gain as much information about the project requirements as possible.
This included regular meetings and a close collaboration with the client and we were able to understand the client’s pain points, core requirements from the development project, and future plans for flexible scaling.
Our preparation also involved deep analysis of all the features present in the current subscription based system that the client was using, with the goal of identifying loopholes and opportunities for newer things.
We underwent a thorough analysis of the client’s whole restaurant chain business and got a tighter hold on different business dynamics like delivery locations, available payment gateways, service timings, and available table reservations (necessary in this case).
Finally, we prepared a strategized blueprint for the in-house food ordering system development project and followed an agile development process by breaking down the project into smaller tasks. This allowed us to focus on one core area at a time, ensuring a more promising delivery.
Throughout the whole development process, our goal was to develop an online food ordering system for the client that is not only feature-rich but also user friendly for the users.
Architecture
Secure Admin Portal
The whole development process focused on ensuring secure access management, ensuring better productivity and less disturbance. For this, we developed two Admin identities for the portal. The Super Admin has the access to see and manage multiple restaurants at multiple locations while the Restaurant Admin was given access to their assigned restaurant only. Along with ensuring a secure access management system, this also helped the client gather crucial data for their business from tools like advanced reporting and analytics.
Front Facing Ordering System
Since we already knew how third party food ordering systems work and dominate the market, we developed a front-facing in-house system that was highly-responsive for both mobile and desktop and offered user-friendly designs and navigation to the customers.
To give our system a unique and personalized touch, we also worked on its branding, giving it the final touch.
Features
01
Multi-restaurant Management
The Super Admin portal allowed the employees of the company to manage multiple restaurants at one time from a single place, increasing efficiency and productivity.
02
Discount System
With the in-house online food ordering system, the client was able to offer exciting discounts and offers to their customers with the advanced discount system, targeting a wider customer base and ensuring business stabilization.
03
Hassle-Free Table Reservations
The client also wanted us to integrate a table reservation system in the software developed. With this, customers can book tables and order in-house food from the restaurant, minimizing waiting time.
04
Dispatch Integration
The dispatch integration feature allowed the client to partner with third-party drivers and delivery staff for order delivery in case of unavailability. This strengthens business credibility and stabilization.
05
Unlimited Menus and Orders
When you partner with a third-party company, usually depending on the level of subscription, you are limited to showcase only a certain number of menus and orders on your profile which somewhat impacts your sales. With the in-house system, the client was able to showcase unlimited menus and orders, catering to a wide customer base.
The Result
Happy Client!
The successful completion of the development project made our client very happy and satisfied. By maintaining close collaborations and deep analysis, we were able to develop an online food ordering system that would boost the client’s business and fit their future plans. This transformational project gave us huge moral confidence and trust from the client.
At the moment, the client is live with the in-house system and we, at Rollout Technologies, are providing them with consistent IT support to make sure the system runs smoothly.
Technologies we used
FOR NERDS
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